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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jan 14 2016 – The Indian Action Committee (IAC) has called on the government of Guyana to declare suicide a national priority.
The IAC said while it is heartened by the recent emergency meeting convened by President David Granger with some members of his Cabinet to discuss the issue “there is an urgent need for the necessary infrastructure to be established.”
The IAC noted that the country’s suicide battle was hamstrung by an inadequate number of psychologists, but remained confident that a declaration of ‘National Priority’ would aid in boosting current efforts and presents an opportunity for attracting additional local and international support.
“This further underscores our request for a swift declaration and calls on civil society to lend support to this call.”
Given the continual and seemingly growing impact suicide has on families, communities and the country as a whole, the IAC said Guyana could ill afford such loses in its human resources.
“The IAC has labored in the past for this declaration to be made which it believes, if realized, would bring a much needed sense of priority which in turn would necessitate the provision of the crucial human, technical and financial resources to educate and mitigate on the circumstances that would propel people to end their lives,” said the organisation formerly called the Indian Arrival Committee.
The organisation repeated its call for all social and religious organisationa to intensify their efforts to provide guidance and counseling where necessary to aid it the mitigation of this social ill.
The IAC release follows the most recent case of suicide late Wednesday in which Michael Stoby, 23, committed suicide when his girlfriend decided to end the relationship .
Over the past five days there were four reported deaths by suicide and five attempts, of which some are still hospitalised.
Last week Thursday, Granger announced the implementation of a national programme in an effort to address the suicide rate.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Guyana, has a suicide rate four times the global average, ahead of North Korea, South Korea, and Sri Lanka.
